title: Consequences of neglecting the hemoglobin concentration on the determination of Adair binding constants.
abstract: It is commonly believed that the tetrameric Adair constants for oxygen binding to human hemoglobin can be evaluated from a single oxygenation experiment at 'high' hemoglobin concentration without considering the consequence of the presence of alpha beta dimers. We present examples which demonstrate that this is a very dangerous assumption. Without a knowledge of the complete oxygenation-linked dimer-tetramer association reaction (alpha beta Xi----(alpha beta)2Xj), it is impossible to predict a priori how high of a hemoglobin concentration would be required to make this assumption. Furthermore, without a knowledge of the complete oxygenation-linked dimer-tetramer association reaction, it is impossible to predict a priori the direction and magnitude of the systematic errors which are induced by making this assumption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville 22908.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Lassiter
mesh_terms: D002151:Calorimetry; D006441:Hemoglobin A / Q000378:metabolism; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008433:Mathematics; D008722:Methods; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; D006441:Hemoglobin A